


another stray

by theaugust



Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Fluff, M/M, kalluzeb holiday exchange, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-27
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 19:33:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28362474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theaugust/pseuds/theaugust
Summary: for the kalluzeb holiday exchange.  my giftee gave the prompt: "Kallus would buy Zeb his favorite treat from his favorite bakery and then wonderful smell would attract a stray lothcat who would follow Kallus home and now Zeb gets treats and a new pet. Zeb would get Kallus a bo-rifle to replace the one he lost, or he'd get (pay) Sabine to make some art where it's either a couple picture of him and Kallus or a picture where Kallus is clearly part of the Ghost family."  wrote this and drew a rough portrait of Zeb, Kallus, and their new kitten.
Relationships: Alexsandr Kallus/Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27
Collections: Kalluzeb Secret Holiday Exchange 2020





	another stray

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Rivulet027](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rivulet027/gifts).



0530  
Capital City, Lothal

Mostly, Kallus had learned to relax. He didn’t carefully style his hair each morning; he didn’t shave, trim, and condition his facial hair every day. His dress had gotten more casual, and his body had gotten a little softer. But today, the Imperial in him was at the forefront. Today had a precise schedule and no room for errors. He was awake before the soft chime of his alarm. Stuck between the wall and a slumbering lasat, Kallus savored the quiet warmth. He'd given himself a bit of cushion knowing too well how difficult it could be to get out of bed. Fortunately, only a heavy, furry arm was draped over him. Still, when Kallus slipped his fingers through the short but dense fur of Garazeb's stripes, Kallus had fully intended to coax Zeb off and away from him. Instead, he gently rubbed down Zeb's arm. He grunted softly, rolling into Kallus. He sighed as Zeb wrapped a leg around Kallus.  
Exactly why he'd set his alarm so early. The bakery wasn't even open for another hour and a half, but now Kallus got to spend a good thirty minutes just laying half under Garazeb and listening to the soft sounds of his breathing.

0745

His focus evenly divided between the boxes cradled in his arms and the busy streets, Kallus marched quickly back to the Ghost. He should have a good forty-five to fifty minutes before Garazeb began to stir, but Kallus had rather err on the side of caution. It still doesn't seem like enough, even with the two large boxes full of baked goods, even knowing how many creds it'd cost. He thinks of the gentle warmth of waking with Zeb next to him, and that overwhelming sense of belonging and safety—what can Kallus ever possibly do to repay Zeb for that? But Kallus has to try, and surely, some of his favorites from his favorite bakery would at least make Garazeb happy. That's enough, Kallus decided.  
Lost in his thoughts, it took him a couple blocks to realize there's this low, rumbling sound following him. He stopped. Something rubbed against his calf, and he glanced down to watch a lothcat thread its way between his legs. It leaned against him, nuzzling and brushing his pants. Gently, he pushed it away and walked on. The rumbling kept following, however.  
Whatever, it would figure out soon enough that Kallus had no interest and move on. He tried his best to ignore the lothcat as it chirped up at him then threw itself down in front of Kallus. Its fluffy belly on display was almost too much, but he managed to step over the lothcat. It cried after him; it kept following after him. Each time he would stop at an intersection, it would start rubbing on his legs again. He would push it away, and it would cry at him.  
They were halfway back to the spaceport when Kallus stopped and turned to frown down at the lothcat. It flopped over on the pavement again, and his expression softened.  
"Silly thing, aren't you?" he grinned.  
Shifting his grip on the boxes, he slowly knelt down to rest a knee on the pavement. Tentatively, Kallus held his open palm out to the lothcat. It popped up, making that same, low rumbling sound—a purr, certainly. He couldn't help but smile as the lothcat sniffed at his fingers then began rubbing its head against his hand. Chuckling, he gently pet its head, then down its back. Its small back arched into his touch, and it gave a soft cry then nuzzled at his leg. As he continued to pet it, he was all too aware of how filthy its coat was and how thin it was. Looking up at him, it cried again.  
He sighed. "It's foolish to think I could just ignore you, isn't it? Even if I do, you'll follow me home."  
The word slipped easily off his tongue, but it was now stuck in his ears. He tried not to dwell on it as he hurried back to the Ghost, hands full of baked goods, stray lothcat trotting along beside. It was just a word—a word to a lothcat. It didn't mean anything. Unless, of course, he wanted it to, but if he did, then did it mean the Ghost, the crew, or just Garazeb?  
Who was, hopefully, still sleeping in their bunk. Kallus had lost track of time completely when the lothcat distracted him. He had a moment of panic at the door. Did Zeb even like lothcats? Should Kallus had just stuck to the meiloorun danishes? But the cupcakes were iced in Zeb's favorite, and he had often mentioned how much he loved macarons, so when Kallus saw them, he just had to—  
The lothcat cried at him.  
"Right," he sighed. "Ready, little one?"  
He thumbed the door open. Zeb was up, though sitting on the bunk. One eye squeezed shut, the other stared down the sights of a bo-rifle that looked a bit like—  
"Karabast!" In a sudden flurry of movement, Zeb hid the bo-rifle beneath the sheets. "Figured you were up for the day. What're you doing… back…?"  
That slight grin curled one corner of Kallus' lips. "Surprise?"  
He started to hold out the boxes to Zeb as he took a step forward, but then he crouched down to grin at the lothcat. "What? Who's this now?"  
It chirped, threading through Kallus' legs. He smiled, "Another stray, if you think we have the room?"  
Glancing up at him, with a toothy grin, Garazeb said, "You already complain there's not enough space in the bunk for the two of us." He offered both his hands, palms up, to the lothcat.  
Kallus shrugged. "Think I'm getting used to that." Smiling, he watched the lothcat carefully sniff each of Zeb's fingers before rubbing its head against his hands.  
Gently petting it, he grumbled, "Skinny, little thing—dirty, too. S'good thing you followed Kallus home. We can fix ya' right up."  
That word, again, stuck in Kallus' ears. His chest seized around a dull ache at the sound. The ache swelled up, closing his throat.  
"Whatever's in those boxes smells kriffin' wonderful." Kallus held them out to Zeb, who stood to take them. "I'll take these out to the common. I smell meiloorun, and if I don't share with Hera, she'll beat me. You should—uh, you should check the bunk." Reaching over, Garazeb ruffled Kallus' hair. The lasat's large hand left it in a horrid disarray, Kallus knew from experience, but he only smiled softly. Their shoulders tapped as Zeb moved past to leave the room.  
Kallus resisted the urge to run his hands through his hair in favor of walking over to the bunk. He tugged back the sheets to reveal the bo-rifle. Kneeling by the bunk, he rested a hand by the heavy stock. His eyes roamed up and down it. As he carefully considered how similar it was to the bo-rifle he'd been forced to leave behind, his vision began to blur. Garazeb had been sure to include each of Kallus' modifications, though he was certain Captain Orrelios had improved upon them all. Though his fingers itched to grab for the bo-rifle, Kallus couldn't bring himself to touch it. He didn't deserve this.  
"Good news!" Zeb blurted as the door swished open. "Hera said we can keep her since you bought meiloorun danishes."  
Shifting to sit with his back against the edge of the bunk, Kallus hastily rubbed at his eyes. "Her? The lothcat's a girl?"  
When he dropped his hands to his lap, he saw Garazeb, lothcat nestled into his folded arms, towering over Kallus with a concerned frown. He knew that look. He chewed at the inside of his lip as Zeb crouched down beside him. The lothcat purred, opening one eye to peek at Kallus. Grinning, he reached to scratch behind her ear.  
"It's still a work in progress, but since your surprise ruined mine…"  
Kallus scoffed, "I suppose I should know better than to expect gratitude from you, Garazeb."  
"I expected to come back to you tryin' 'er out, but doesn't look like you've even touch the kriffin' thing. What's wrong?"  
"Always so direct."  
"Because you're so evasive. Come on, better take care of this little one, then we can—we can…"  
Kallus grinned, "Test the bo-rifle?"  
"Yea, okay, sure…"  
Chuckling, Kallus reached to tug lightly at Zeb's beard. "What did you have in mind, Garazeb?"  
"Nothing, really, just wanna be close to you."  
A flush spread across Kallus' cheeks, and his hand moved to scratch along Zeb's jaw. His eyes slipping closed, he hummed softly and slipped a hand around the back of Kallus' neck.  
"Come on, relax." Claws lightly scratched at his skin as Zeb's large fingers rubbed at the tension in his muscles. "Just you and me now."  
He slowly melted under Zeb's touch. Through lazily hooded eyes, Kallus considered Zeb then the lothcat still cuddled up and purring in his arms. "You, me, and the little one," Kallus corrected. "And the rest of our family."  
Garazeb, smiling, shut his eyes and leaned to rest his forehead against Kallus'. "Yea, our family," Zeb mumbled, his breath hot on Kallus' lips. He took that as an invitation and leaned up to kiss Zeb. He started to press into Kallus, but then the lothcat chirped between them. They both glanced down at her and chuckled.

  
[on tumblr](https://prb2weird.tumblr.com/post/638671861762457600/merry-kalluzebmas-another-stray-1583-words-g) [on twitter](https://twitter.com/blng2grnd/status/1343227374461202434?s=20)


End file.
